The tidelanders
Harmony Singing Group
The Houston Tidelanders are a performing harmony singing group. We sing a wide range of genres including country, pop, religious, and holiday music. Specifically, our music is arranged and performed in the Barbershop style of music.
Harmony
Musical textures are how materials of a composition determine the quality of sound. Typical materials may include harmonics like chords, tempo, and melody. Therefore, harmony singing means that the notes are sung simultaneously using that musical texture. Significantly, musical textures can be described by density or range between the highest and lowest pitches.
Polyphony
Polyphony, also known as contrapuntal or counterpoint, is where more than one melody may is performed at the same time. Markedly, rounds, canons, and fugues are all considered polyphonic.
Homophony
Homophony is a musical texture where multiple voices are part of a musical piece but there is one clear melody. Therefore, the melody stands out prominently and can be heard distinctly from the rest of the other musical parts. Indeed it is typical that most western music uses the homophonic musical texture. Also, barbershop harmony music uses the homophonic texture. However, homophonic textures can become polyphonic temporarily if a countermelody is performed.
Barbershop Singing
Barbershop is also known as “harmony” singing because we sing in close harmonies. Meaning that certain notes are parts of chords that are well known as being “barbershop chords”. If you want to learn more about the barbershop style of music, you can read our article on The Basics of Barbershopping Explained.
In a technique known as matching pitch, we can get even closer harmonies. Read more about that technique in our article on Relative Pitch. In this article, we talk about a concept where singers may actually sing slightly out of tune in such a way (and on purpose) that the harmonics result in closer harmonies. Typically the group changing or tuning would be one specific section. For example, the basses or baritones might try to match pitches with the tenors.
The frequencies we sing can match and combine in ways that produce an effect known as overtones. Meaning we hear notes and sounds that are not actually being sung by the singers. Instead, the harmonics are producing the new sounds we hear. The result being unexpected but welcome notes or other harmonic effects like dissonance that may help us keep an audience’s attention.
How Are We Different From Choir
As you read above, our two styles of music are very different from each other. Next, the vocal ranges of the voice parts vary with barbershop groups covering more vocal territory. A choir tends to focus on hymns and other religious selections. Barbershop song selections are made from a diverse group of music genres including pop, rock, show tunes, and also may include some religious songs. Read how Barbershop harmony is different from Choir.
History of Barbershop Singing
Barbershop singing originates from African American culture and history. Starting in the 19th century (the 1800s), African American slaves and freemen danced and sang to entertain themselves, friends, and families. The style of barbershop was adapted from other styles of music including swing, jazz, and ragtime.